A cross-sectional study of owner-reported health in Canadian and American cats fed meat- and plant-based diets.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cats, being obligate carnivores, have unique dietary requirements for nutrients most commonly found in dietary ingredients of animal origin. As such, feeding a diet devoid of animal-derived ingredients has been postulated as a possible cause of nutrient imbalances and adverse health outcomes. A small proportion of cat owners feed strictly plant-based diets to the cats in their care, yet the health and wellness of cats fed these diets has not been well documented.

Results

A total of 1325 questionnaires were complete enough for inclusion. The only exclusion criterion was failure to answer all questions. Most cats, 65% (667/1026), represented in the survey were fed a meat-based diet and 18.2% (187/1026) were fed a plant-based diet, with the rest fed either a combinat

SUBMITTER: Dodd SAS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7842014 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature